This invention relates to contraception.
It is known to use certain steroids, particularly estrogens, as contraceptives for mammals. Estrogens have been used as the postcoital contraceptive of choice for a number of years. Estrogens commonly used have been diethylstilbestrol and ethinylestradiol.
The use of these substances as a postcoital contraceptive has several disadvantages. Numerous clinical laboratories have reported serious side effects on the hepatic and cardiovascular functions. It has also been reported that women treated with diethylstilbestrol have a higher incidence of cervical carcinoma and that their offspring could also be at risk.
The most widely employed steroids for precoital contraception are combinations of synthetic progestogens and synthetic estrogens, their generally being administered during the menstrual period.
The synthetic estrogens in use for precoital contraception also have the disadvantage of certain deleterious side effects in use. Use of these estrogens has been accounted with thromboembolism, increased blood pressure and alterations of the metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates.